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Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly arrested on suspicion of home trespass, released by team

Backup quarterback, now off team, was found near Gothic Theatre

Chad Kelly — at the time, the backup quarterback for the Denver Broncos — was arrested on suspicion of illegally entering a home in Englewood after midnight on Oct. 23, according to a news release by Englewood police.

At about 1:20 a.m., police responded to a home in the 3200 block of South Lincoln Street on a report of a man standing outside, the release said. As they responded, police were told the man was inside the home, and he was chased out of the home by an occupant, the release said.

Police found Kelly, matching the description given by the resident, in a black SUV in the area of the Gothic Theatre, about a block west, according to the release.

The Broncos announced the morning of Oct. 24 that Kelly had been released, meaning he is no longer part of the team.

According to an arrest affidavit, a woman inside the home was sitting on a couch near the front door and holding her young child, when a man entered the home and sat down on the couch next to her, “mumbling incoherently.”

A man inside the home hit him with an aluminum vacuum tube in the upper back and kicked him out of the home, the affidavit said. An officer found no signs of forced entry to the home, and the man was caught on security videotape wearing a brown vest and a red scarf around his neck, according to the affidavit. The clothing appeared “disheveled,” the affidavit said.

Broncos players attended a Halloween party hosted by star linebacker Von Miller at the Gothic Theatre the night of Oct. 22. Police were aware of that party, said Sgt. Chad Read, spokesman for Englewood police.

"I can only assume that Kelly attended the party, but cannot confirm," Read said.

Kelly, 24, was taken into custody without incident and jailed on a charge of first-degree criminal trespass. Officers did not observe any injury or markings on Kelly's back from being struck with the vacuum tube, the affidavit said.

He was released from jail on $2,500 bond. The investigation is ongoing, and Kelly is due back in court Nov. 8.

Kelly, the nephew of hall-of-famer Jim Kelly, was drafted by the Broncos in the seventh round in 2017. He had been the Broncos' second-string quarterback behind Case Keenum this season.

In an Oct. 24 news release, Broncos General Manager John Elway commented on the team's waiving of Kelly.

“This was a decision that we made as an organization,” Elway said. “After reviewing all the information and in talking with (head coach) Vance (Joseph) and (team president) Joe (Ellis), we agreed that releasing Chad was the right thing to do. Even though Chad’s no longer part of our team, we’ve offered to help him however we can and are supportive of him in every possible way.”

During his college career — which included stints at Clemson, East Mississippi Community College and Ole Miss — Kelly encountered off-the-field problems and sustained a knee injury as a senior. But he also flashed professional potential, twice being named second-team All-SEC at Ole Miss.

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